A friend of mine has a pair of GSD's who just had puppies. I was originally very opposed to the thought of buying a puppy from someone when there are so many in shelters, but after my last experience I have changed my mind.

My friend is not a breeder, she does not do anything like that to my knowledge. She simply has a male and female GSD and they have puppies now. I am going to buy one from her, a female, and will pick her up when she's 8 weeks old.

I asked her if she was going to have them screened for any hip and elbow issues and she said it wasn't necessary because her dogs don't have any issues. I would just like to know upfront what I should ask about or have done to make sure we don't have any issues. I tried reading as much as I could and I would still like to hear from someone else that knows much more about these amazing dogs than I do.

I don't know about what happened with your last dog, but if you are looking for a good quality puppy, find a good breeder that health and temperament tests their dogs. Not every health issue is obviously visible, and neither are hip and elbow issues, so your friend is wrong in saying health testing doesn't matter.

I wouldn't give my money to someone who doesn't care about these things.

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You should ask her again about certifying hip structure for her GSD's. They may not have hip issues now, but the future is unpredictable. You might also want to ask about the bloodline if you really want a purebred german shepherd.
As sad as it is, while there are so many dogs in shelters, many of them will grow to have an abundance of health problems. It's safer to either not get emotionally attached (which let's face it- is almost impossible), or to just get one from a reliable breeder.

Her dogs may not have issues, but what about their parents, siblings? It isn't just health to be concerned about, also temperament.

It is a tough call. The pups are here. I wouldn't buy a pup from her, but would cover the costs of the pup for the first vet/shot visit, otherwise it is just supporting a BYB. If you are concerned about health due to prior experience, do some research and begin talking with responsible breeders. They will know their dogs, the type pups they produce and will have done the needed testing.

I asked her if she was going to have them screened for any hip and elbow issues and she said it wasn't necessary because her dogs don't have any issues. I would just like to know upfront what I should ask about or have done to make sure we don't have any issues.

If your friend is that ignorant, then honestly there's nothing you can ask or do to make sure you don't have issues.

The dogs are bred, the puppies are born. If you like the parents and you want one of their progeny, take one. I agree with the consensus in this thread that personally I would not support somebody's carelessness by giving them money for such a puppy, but that's your decision.

In any case, it really doesn't sound like there's anything meaningful you can ask your friend, because it sounds like that person has absolutely no idea what they're doing and the answers would be useless.

Just raise your puppy like you'd raise any other puppy and hope for the best.

I've always loved GSD's and I have always wanted one but could never really have one until now. I adopted one from a shelter about a month ago and we were absolutely in love with her. She wound up getting sick three days later so we took her back to the shelter so they could have her looked at by a vet and they told us she had distemper so they put her down. I offered to pay for the treatment because we really loved the dog but they said it wouldn't be worth it because most likely she would die anyways. So that was that.

We still want one and I've made efforts to reach out to different rescue organizations but surprisingly, not a single one has contacted me back. I've filled out the applications, made phone calls, sent emails and haven't received anything back. The one organization that did reply back to me told me that they wouldn't let me adopt a GSD because of where I live, since my area is supposedly really bad at treating them.

I don't want to risk another shelter issue like the one I had, especially with something as bad and contagious as distemper. We have another dog and I would be absolute destroyed if they both got sick.

That is why I'm pretty much willing to give up and buy a dog from this friend of mine. I understand everything that you all are saying but unless I can get in contact with a shelter or rescue like I originally wanted to, I don't see anything else to do. I don't have the money to buy one from a reputable breeder and it's almost the same thing as buying one from my friend except of course for the fact that the reputable breeder will provide a much better quality dog.

We don't want a show dog or a working dog. We want a loving dog that we can raise from a puppy and grow with our family.

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